Communication

and Globalization
 DEFINITIONS
 Communication- an act of conveying intended
information and understanding from one
person to another is called as communication

 Globalization- “key to the worldwide

integration of humanity” increased
interconnectedness and interdependence of
peoples and countries
 In Southeast Asia for example, the ASEAN Integration
has been a buzzword among social communities,
opening a wide array of discussion for future
collaborations.
 For their part, Filipinos have increased their
awareness and acceptance of the notion that they
belong to a diverse, global community. This is not
confined to communication with people from other
countries, but is inclusive of communication with their
own societies, even with the minorities and the
indigenous peoples. It is therefore imperative that
they learn to communicate effectively with people
regardless of age, gender, race, ability, religion,
sexual orientation, income, marital status or
ethnicity.
 Communication in the modern world must be anchored on
the concept of diversity, since effective communication
and the ability to understand cultural differences are skills
that have become requisites not only for a meaningful
social life but also for a successful professional career.
 Even professionals from the countries that are traditionally
known for sticking to their native tongue (Japan, Korea,
Vietnam) have started to learn English, as the
internationally-recognized lingua franca, with the concept
that learning English does not make them less Japanese,
Koreans or Vietnamese. Hence, it is equally important for
Filipinos to remain competitive in the highly globalize
environment by learning to communicate effectively and
ethically in multicultural settings.
 In addition, digital technology has
erased territorial boundaries among
countries and among people with
varying cultures. The notion of being
“stranger” has been revolutionized as
the people whom we used to treat as
strangers are now our co-workers,
classmates or friends-eventhough some
only in social media.
 Hence, there is a need to develop graduates and
professionals who are multiculturalists- those who are
engaged with and respectful of people with different
cultures. These are not necessarily people from other
countries all the time, since a country may have sub-
cultures among its general society. In the Philippines,
for example, there is no argument that people from
Southern Tagalog have a different culture from the
Bicolanos and those from Zamboanga have different
norms and beliefs from Ilocanos.
 What are the effects of
globalization on communication?
 Connecting with people on the other side of the
world is now easier than it was a few years ago.
Satellites, fiber-optic cables and the internet ,make it
effortless to share information with those in different
time zones and locations.
Global communication is directly affected by the
process of globalization and helps to increase business
opportunities, remove cultural barriers and develop
a global village. Both globalization and global
communication have changed the environmental,
cultural, political and economic elements of the world.
Increased Business Opportunities

 Many companies today hire employees that are located in

other countries. Using communication vehicles such as
video calling make it simple to converse with colleagues
across the globe, almost making it feel as if they are in
the same room
 Technology also make it easier to connect with suppliers
and customers all over the world, and to streamline those
relationship through improves ordering and shipment
tracking
Fewer Cultural Barriers

 Many people perceived culture to be the root of

communication challenges. When people from two
different cultures try to exchange information, the way
they speak, their body language or their mannerisms can
be interpreted differently by other person. The way
people approach problems and how they participate in
communities is all influenced by culture. BUT
 Being able to communicate effectively and frequently
with colleagues or friends across the planet helps people
understand each other’s cultures a little better.
CREATION OF GLOBAL VILLAGE (the term is
coined by Marshall McLuhan)

 Affected both by globalization and global

communication, the global village is created when
distance and isolation no longer matter because
people are connected by technology.
 Widespread telephone and internet access have
been life changing for many people across the
world without having to leave their place.
Are you ready to communicate in a global and multicultural environment?
Assess your readiness to communicate effectively with people having
different cultures. Simply answer TRUE or FALSE.
______1. I enjoy communicating with persons who are like me in terms of
interests and with the same socio-economic status, as much as I enjoy
communicating those who are not like me.
______2. I am equally sensitive to the concerns of all groups of society and I
genuinely care to the plight and issues surrounding them.
______3. I can tell when persons with different cultures do not understand me
or are confused by my actions.
______4. I am not afraid of interacting with members of minority groups nor
with members of a dominant culture.
______5. Persons from other cultures who do not actively participate in a
conversation, debate or any form of discussion act that way probably because
of their culture’s rule.
______6. Persons from other cultures have the right to be angry at
members of my own culture.
______7. How I handle conflict or disagreements with persons from
other culture depends on the situation and on the culture they are
from.
______8. My culture is not superior to other cultures.
______9. I am knowledgeable of how to behave when communicating
or interacting with people having different cultures.
______10. I respect the communication rules of cultures other than
my own.
 The greater the number of statements that
are HONESTLY TRUE to you, the more
prepared you are to welcome the opportunity
of communicating and interacting with
people from different cultures. This is very
important aspect in one’s personal life or
professional careers, since avoiding
intercultural communication is virtually
inevitable in any organization.
 This is especially true in business
organizations, when products can go
global and the manner by which any
product is communicated to the
global market can make or break the
brand. Here are few examples of
business miscommunication in a
global setting:
 Gerber dealt with issues in
some cultures where women
have low literacy rates such as
Africa and the Middle East. The
women in these cultures
generally use pictures to tell
them what food they are
buying. When Gerber started
selling their product in these
countries, the women saw the
picture of the baby and
believed that there was a baby
or part of one baby in the jar.
 Irish Mist is a
brown whisky
produced in Dublin,
Ireland. In Germany,
however “Mist”
literally translates
to “crap”.
 Joni (read as
“Yoni”) is a brand of
skin product.
However, Yoni means
“uterus” or “vagina”
in Sanskrit and is an
Indian representation
of female genitalia,
especially pertaining
to the Hindu goddess
Shakti.
 Undoubtedly, globalization has affected the way
people and companies communicate with each other.
In some cases, cultural differences have accentuated
cultural insensitivity, which is most felt in the
business world. Since everyone is a consumer of
particular business products, it is important to know
the issues, etiquette, protocol, communication
styles and negotiation approaches of people from
different cultures using the business experience as
example. Here are some instances when lack of
cultural or linguistic sensitivity in global
communication severely affected companies or
products:
McDonald’s spent thousands on
a new TV ad to target the
Chinese consumers. This
features a Chinese man
kneeling before a McDonald’s
crew and begging him to
accept his expired discount
coupon. The ad caused uproar
over the fact that begging is a
shameful act in Chinese
culture.
Similarly, McDonald’s also
unintentionally offended
thousands of Muslims when it
printed an excerpt from the
Korean on its throwaway
(takeout) hamburger bags.
Muslims saw tis as sacrilegious.
Some staff at the African port of
Stevadores saw the supposedly
internationally-recognized symbol
for “fragile” (i.e. broken wine
glass). Since in their culture, they
treat the pictures printed on
packages to be representation of
what’s inside, they thought it was a
box of broken glasses and threw all
the boxes into the sea.
 The film “Holywood Buddha” caused
outrage and protest on the streets of Sri
Lanka, Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma) when
the designer of the film’s poster decided to
show the lead actor sitting on the Buddha’s
head, which is an act of clear degradation
against something holy.
 Coors (beer) once had its slogan “Turn it
loose” translated to Spanish, but it became
to mean “Suffer from diarrhea”.
All of these examples are predominantly business-
related, where companies failed to regard cultural
differences in packaging and communicating their
product to the global market. However, the cost of
cultural insensitivity in global communication can
be felt in everyday communication, as cultural
misunderstandings often lead to misinterpretation
and unnecessary tension between people. Here
are some examples demonstrating this in a
global setting:
 Showing the sole of a shoe (by crossing one’s legs and pointing
one’s shoes to the speaker, for example) means nothing to
observers in most Western and Asian countries, In Muslim cultures
(such as Saudi Arabia) however, the gesture is perceived as
insulting. Similarly, crossing one’s legs while seated is customary
for Westerners, but this is faux pas in Korea.
 Blinking rapidly while another person is talking is normal for most
people, especially during tense situations. For Taiwanese, this is
considered impolite.
 The Japanese view the business card as an extension of their body,
while Americans view it simply as a business formality. Hence,
when Japanese hand over their business cards with two hands and
with great care, they get insulted when the peson just put it away
with haste.
Are there bad effects of
technology in
communication?
See The Flight from Conversation by Sherry
Turkle
How technology affects family
relationship?
How technology affects work?
How technology affects
classes?
According to author’s students
what is new important skill?
Why it is said that the little
devices most of us carry
around are so powerful?
Why it is said that the little
devices most of us carry
around are so powerful?
What does being “alone
together” mean?
 What can texting, e-mailing
and posting enable people to
do?
Is real, actual or face-to-face
conversation important than
chatting, texting or e-mailing?
“Face to face conversation
teaches patience”. Explain.
“Flight from conversation means
diminished chances to learn skills
of self reflection”. Explain and
relate it to facebook’s “What’s
on your mind?”.
Why is it appealing to have
Facebook page or Twitter?
 You want to confide
something which bothers you,
will you do it with the robot
or real humans?Why?
What are the three powerful
fantasies that always-on-you
devices provide?
 Communicating in a
Multi-Cultural Society
and World
Multicultural Society
Multicultural Society is a vision of a
society, where people with different
nationalities, languages, religions and
ethnicities living together. People with
different cultures can have different
traditions, lifestyles or imagine of values and
ethics.
Cultural backdrop affects how individuals
communicate and how they deduce messages
received from others.
Multicultural Perspectives

Being aware that miscommunication can arise

due to ethnicity, age, gender, race and physical
disability, and much other dissimilarity such as
religious and lifestyle is the first step towards
better multicultural communication. Larger cultural
multiplicity in the organizations and workplaces
increase the need for understanding how cultural
background affects communication.
 Communication Barriers in Multicultural
Communication

Communication barriers most of the time hamper the

quality of communication when you are interacting with
people from cultures other than your own. These barriers
include:-
1. Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism
2. Lack of Knowledge and Understanding of Cultures
3. Discriminatory and Harassment
4. Language Differences
Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism

 Cultural relativism compares the norms and conducts of

different cultures and usually means evaluating them
against standards of what’s wrong and what’s right. This
approach to other cultures becomes an obstacle when you
presume that cultural norms, customs and conducts are
not right if they differ from those of your culture.
 Ethnocentrism is the natural idea that your own cultural
tradition and values are right and superior. People around
the world are ethnocentric to an extent. Norms, customs,
and conducts that are different from those of your culture
may seem unusual, abnormal and sometimes even wrong.
Lack of Knowledge and Understanding of
Cultures
Although a particular culture may usually demonstrate
similar behaviors or attributes, this does not mean all
individuals in that culture are similar. People establish
stereotypes when they presume that certain norms, values
or attributes typical of a particular culture define all
members of that culture group. Stereotypes are an outcome
due to limited knowledge of cultural diversity.
An understanding of various cultures means to be fully
aware that individuals within each culture may have some
resemblance and some variations. It means responding to
people as individuals while understanding that cultural
backdrops and experiences impact behavior and
communication.
Discriminatory and Harassment

Discrimination is demonstrating partiality

toward or hurtful elimination or rejection of people
because of cultural or any other differences.
Business communication between the sexes
demands a clear understanding of remarks and
actions that could be interpreted as sexual
harassment. Sexual harassment is undesirable
behavior of a sexual nature or with sexual
implications. It may occur for men as well as
women.
Language Differences

Language can also be a barrier to communication. An

increase in multicultural interactions presents language
challenges. When organizations communicate with the large
number of people who speak the languages other than
English – misunderstandings may occur. Non verbal language
influences the receiver’s understanding and acceptance of a
spoken message. In multicultural business communication,
non verbal signs vary as much as spoken languages do.
Nonverbal greetings can be anything from a bow to a
handshake or from a hug to an upward flick of the eyebrows.
Misunderstanding or misinterpretation of cultural differences
in nonverbal messages causes communication problems.
 How Do We
Communicate in a
Multicultural World?
The Discussion Style

Cultures that are verbally direct and less

emotionally expressive fall under this category.
People who use this style will explore conflict
through direct, rational arguments, and limit the
expression of their personal feelings towards the
matter.

According to Hammer (2009), cultures that generally fall in the

discussion category are European-American, Australian, and Northern
European groups.
The Engagement Style
People with this type of communication style are highly
direct and emotionally expressive. But while the people who
utilize and the engagement communication style during a
conflict may feel they are demonstrating honesty and
sincerity, the intensity of this kind of communication might
be overwhelming for other styles. Specifically, the words
“tantrum” and “melt down” were used in describing
interpretation of the engaging individuals.

Hammer states that the African American community, southern

Europe, Cuba, Nigeria, and Russia often contain cultures that
express this type of communication style (Hammer 2009).
The Accommodation Style
Individuals who score low on directness and low on
emotional expressiveness have the accommodation style.
People who use this type of communication during conflict
intend to be sensitive to people’s feelings and considerate of
others’ perspectives. They use other cues than direct speech
to get their point across, like body language, tone, and
words rooted in context that allows for a more nuanced
approach.
Native Americans of the United States, Somalia, Japan, Mexico,
and Thai cultures are usually in this category of communication
(Hammer 2009).
 The Dynamic Style
Individuals who use a dynamic style are emotionally expressive and
less direct. Essentially, people in this category can express the
intensity of their attitude towards something without having to say
it. Stories, metaphors, and humor might be used to de-escalate the
situation while expressing feelings. Hammer further states that these
individuals might engage the assistance of others to help resolve the
conflict.
However, while strategies are effective for keeping the peace in
dynamic cultures, other communication styles can feel bewildered
by the display of emotion with lack of explanation.

Cultures in Arab Middle Eastern countries and Pakistan can have

this communication style (Hammer 2009).